Salary expectations: how do you answer? - what worked for you?

I have been out of work for 6 weeks and feel pressure to accept less. I looked up ranges in Tampa and they vary a lot. How do you research fairly?

Asking about the range for the role first worked for me. Some recruiters share it.

I gave a range based on local postings and said I was flexible depending on the whole package. They did not push back.